Good Reads & Views

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood
FIC Greenwood, Kerry

This is the start of a series that was originally published in Australia that have recently been republished here. Phryne (rhymes with brine-y) Fisher is an independent 1920s female sleuth, who solves a jewel theft while bored in England, and then moves to Melbourne to investigate the mysterious illness of the daughter of a family friend. Meet the interesting cast of characters that you will come to know and love in subsequent books. Phryne is feisty, wealthy, and enjoys fine clothing, fine food, and fine men.

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
FIC Grafton, Sue

As Grafton keeps working her way through the alphabet, PI Kinsey Millhone is hired to solve the 34 year old disappearance of Violet Sullivan who vanished in her brand new 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air taking nothing else with her. Now her daughter, Daisy, only 7 years old at the time, wants some answers about her mother's departure. Did Violet run off with one of her many lovers, or was she murdered by her abusive husband? As Kinsey retraces Violet's activities she uncovers dark secrets, strange liaisons and nasty grudges which offer plenty of suspects.

Matty Groves by Deborah Grabien
FIC Grabien, Deborah

In the old folksong, a cuckolded husband murders Matty Groves and his lover. However, musician Ringan Laine and his band are beginning to wonder. They’re playing at a music festival at the manor where the murder supposedly took place, and odd things keep cropping up. Like a loving epitaph on the wife’s grave. The discovery that Matty Groves was a child. And, oddest of all, a malevolent ghost who reacts so violently to the band’s presence that they have to flee to the vicarage for refuge. They have awakened something, and if their frantic hunt for the truth of a four hundred year old song fails, who knows what it will do? The third of a series. 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
FIC Gabaldon, Diana

This is the first installment in a series that is now awaiting its sixth book, to be published this fall (September 2005). It is just after WWII, and Claire is reunited with her academic husband after serving as a nurse during the war. They are enjoying a second honeymoon and trying to reconnect in the Scottish highlands. When Claire goes looking for a specific flower near a circle of stones, she is thrust back in time to the middle of a skirmish in 1743. Kidnapped/rescued from a British ancestor of her modern-day husband by a group of Scots, she marries for convenience, but realizes that she has found true love. Full of adventure and romance. 

Hounding the Moon by P. R. Frost
FIC Frost, P.R.

Fantasy writer Tess Noncoiré is now moonlighting. As a warrior of the Sisterhood of the Celestial Blade. The time necessary to save the world is wreaking havoc on her convention schedule, never mind finding an opportunity to write. On the other hand, she no longer has to make up nearly as much. Accompanied by her undersized imp partner Scrap, and pursued by two men with questionable intentions, Tess battles demons determined to invade the earth. 

A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Fredrickson
FIC Fredrickson, Jack

There's been an explosion in Crystal Waters, a gated community outside of Chicago, and Dek Elstrom, an investigator down on his luck, is brought in to authenticate the ransom note. Dek's history comes out slowly; he has a connection to Crystal Waters, is divorced with a ruined business reputation, and is trying to restore a castle turret that his grandfather had built during prohibition, fighting with city hall for building and residency permits. Has been likened to Parker's early Spenser books. 

Inside Track by John Francome
FIC Francome, John

Jamie, a former champion jockey, has been released from jail after serving his sentence for killing a 15-year-old boy while driving drunk. He confessed to the crime even though he has no memory of the accident. He tries to make a new life for himself helping his sister with her horse yard and learning to be a jump jockey, as nightmares might be revealing what happened the night of the accident. Be sure to check this out if you are a fan of Dick Francis. 

Delectable Mountains by Earlene Fowler
FIC Fowler, Earlene

Benni Harper, folk art museum curator and confirmed cowgirl, returns in the 12^th mystery in the series that began with Fool’s Puzzle. Benni’s busy life becomes even more complicated when she accepts the responsibility of leading a children’s musical play at her church, and the church’s handyman is murdered. Meanwhile, Benni’s police chief husband Gabe has welcomed his troubled cousin as their houseguest. This cozy mystery series, whose titles originate from the names of quilt patterns, features strong, appealing characters and a well-drawn setting in California’s ranch country. 

Seventy-Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler
PBK Fowler, Christopher

The Peculiar Crimes Unit of Scotland Yard is living up to its name. The Whitstable family is dying one by one—by exploding clock, injection of snake poison, Bengal tiger…besides more run-of-the-mill causes like strychnine, knife, and falling from great heights. And they are not helping themselves. Accustomed to privilege, they indignantly refuse police protection. Police are, after all, of the lower orders. But when each new death arrives, they complain bitterly to Detectives Bryant and May, who are fairly peculiar themselves. A classic mystery with an over-the-top solution. Fans of John Dickson Carr will love it. 

When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum
FIC Fossum, Karin

In Fossum’s third mystery published in the U.S., Inspector Konrad Sejer investigates two seemingly unconnected events, the death of a child and the disappearance of a local 18 year old delinquent. As this psychodrama unfolds the reader discovers the secrets of ordinary people and their link to each other long before the police become aware. More of a psychological thriller than mystery but definitely a page turner.